A Memorable Journey
by Celinarose
Summary: Hermione remembers where they started and where they are now, and considers that it is the most beautiful journey she has ever made.


She often recalled the beginning of their friendship. It had not been easy at all. But she had been persistent, and even he, stubborn as he was, caved eventually. He had taken his time about it though. And yet, she had enjoyed it. His mask had been set in stone for so long, and she considered herself lucky enough to be one of the people with the ability to make it fade away.

She remembered the younger version of herself, full of hope and fresh ideas, having just passed the NEWTS with flying colours, walking upto his door and knocking expectantly on it. He had opened it in a sour mood and rejected her application to be his Apprentice outright. She had stared him down stubbornly, trying to blink away the tears, but he hadn't budged from his position. So she had come back the next day, and the next, and the next, until he yielded. She knew he would privately have been puzzled as to why she had chosen _him_ of all people, to supervise her, and more importantly, why she had kept insisting, but also that he would never say as much. She also knew what she was doing, however. He was easily the greatest Potions Master of their time, despite not liking his teaching job very much. She had seen his textbook in sixth year, and even though she had told Harry to not use it, she had to acknowledge the brilliance he had possessed, even as a student. Besides, Potions had always been the one subject she never excelled in, and she had planned to change that.

It had taken her nearly two months to convince him, but in the end, he had agreed, assuring her he wouldn't go easy on her. She had taken this declaration as a challenge.

He had been true to his word, and at first, she had found it quite difficult to cope with his pace. Nonetheless, she soon found her feet and not only caught up to him, but even began to suggest improvements to the methods they were using. He had been quite surprised at this, but had been nice enough to accept her suggestions as valid ones. She had been absolutely over the moon at that, because she knew how rare it was for him to do so.

Over time, theirs had become less of a student-teacher relationship, and more like a friendship between equals. Even so, they rarely talked about anything outside their work. Hermione knew he preferred to keep it that way, and hence she never pushed it further. It didn't even matter that much, because she did love what she did, and she found their discussions scintillating. The Potions that they had been taught as students of Hogwarts could not compare in complexity or beauty to the ones she brewed during her Apprenticeship. Even better, she could finally have the freedom to experiment and create her own brews, though it was much harder work than it seemed to be in the beginning. He was always there to help her, however, even though he had a distant way of showing his concern and support. She found she liked it, since it left her room to figure things out on her own.

Despite everything he had said and all the harsh names he had called her over the months she had been his Apprentice, she had seen his face had been practically beaming when she had finally received her Mastery. He had even gone so far as to smile ever so slightly as her. She had grinned back, standing on the podium.

As to what she wanted to do next, which was the question everyone kept asking her, she had already made up her mind. She had surprised him by telling him she wanted to continue to work with him, and that the Ministry had offered a lab for both of them. He had looked so shocked at her offer that for a few moments she had wondered if she had done something wrong. Then, he had nodded, almost imperceptibly, in acceptance.

Feeling impulsive, she had hugged him in that moment. Amazingly, he had hugged back. Well, sort of. Hermione had found herself really looking forward to their partnership.

She was not disappointed. They had proven themselves to be ideal partners very quickly, and Kingsley had been quite impressed with the developments they were making. Soon enough, they had had enough demand and funds that they had opened an apothecary which had soon become quite popular as well.

Hermione smiled. The memories they had made along the way were beautiful and she wouldn't trade them for the world. And here they were, taking a step neither had had the courage to take for so long. For two people who were generally considered to be the brightest in their generation, they had both been rather blind. Or perhaps they had been afraid. Either way, it didn't matter anymore. She had waited a long time for a night like this one, and she planned to make it perfect. He had been nervous, when she had suggested his, an emotion one did not normally associate with Severus Snape. She had assured him it couldn't go wrong. It hadn't been that hard, really. Partly because she really did believe in what she was saying, and partly because she had gotten used to his stubbornness.

She lifted her head to find him walking into the quiet little Muggle restaurant where she had been waiting. Her breath caught in her throat. She had seen him in many attires over the years, but never had he worn a Muggle suit. He looked like an entirely different man. She stood up and smiled at him. He smiled back. The man she loved and who loved her stood in front of her, with a look in his eyes that had made her heart skip a beat like a schoolgirl's.

She had thought her life was perfect before. It had taken seeing this one sight, for that belief to change. She didn't mind being wrong, for once.

 ** _Notes; Written for Jenny (Claude Amelia Song)! I do hope you liked it! I know it doesn't really have any dialogue but I hope it wasn't too vague and it made sense. Happy Holidays!_**


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